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ESPN staff
The 2023 NBA postseason has already been full of surprises.
Somehow, the Los Angeles Lakers finished with the seventh-best record in the West after starting the season 2-10, and they earned a playoff spot via the play-in tournament. The Cleveland Cavaliers are in the postseason without LeBron James for the first time since 1997-98. And perhaps most notably of all, the Sacramento Kings snapped the longest playoff drought in NBA history, and they are in for the first time since 2006.
Needless to say, some squads already have plenty to celebrate — and sometimes the festivities spill over onto the hardwood after a big play.
Here are some notable celebrations from the postseason.
VanVleet made four 3-pointers in the first half of Wednesday’s play-in game, tying his most in any half this season.
His last one was a half-court heave that beat the buzzer and extended the Toronto Raptors‘ lead to 58-47 over the Chicago Bulls — and it was certainly something to celebrate.
TOO COLD. https://t.co/EbwfoV7He2 pic.twitter.com/puOPIb8cAh
— NBA (@NBA) April 13, 2023
Schroder appeared to complete the Lakers’ comeback effort against the Minnesota Timberwolves with his tiebreaking 3-pointer on a pass from James with 1.4 seconds left in regulation of Tuesday’s play-in tilt.
However, the would-be game winner was spoiled when Anthony Davis fouled Mike Conley, who nailed all three foul shots and sent the game to overtime.
Luckily for the Lakers, they still came out on top, so Schroder and James’ celebration still stands.
— ESPN (@espn) April 12, 2023
Source: www.espn.com